Various food packages are known which contain food in a form which is visible to the purchasing consumer. One such package comprises a rigid base tray having food receiving compartments therein and covered with a transparent flexible film which hermetically seals the compartments. When the package is to travel in ordinary channels of commerce between the original manufacturer and the supermarket shelf, there is a need to provide, in addition to the basic food containing and sealing function of the container, a means to convey label information to the consumer, to provide a mechanism which allows the package to stand on edge or otherwise be displayed in an upright position and/or to preserve the structural integrity of the package.
Heretofore, in a package of the present type, these functions have been provided by an outer closure container such as that shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. Dec. 305,204 and Dec. 305,205. However, since outer enclosure containers use a large amount of material, they tend to be relatively expensive. Also, for environmental purposes, it is desirable to minimize the quantity of packaging material required for any given food product and/or to use materials which facilitate recycling and are therefore "environmental friendly". Additionally, consumers often favor packages using less packaging material because they enhance visibility of the product.
One technique used heretofore to enclose packages is a wrap around collar as described in commonly owned U.S. application Ser. No. 07/453,290, filed Dec. 22, 1989. However, since this collar is of relatively thin width, it does not cover the entire top or the entire bottom and hence it does not simulate the appearance of an outer enclosure container and its ability to enhance the structural integrity of the package is limited. Also, it is known to use a full width sleeve to enclose a rigid tray, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,221,320 to Faller. However, full width sleeves as shown in Faller are not used in combination with compartmentalized rigid base trays and do not permit viewing of products within the rigid base tray.
Thus, there exists a need to provide, for a package of the present type, improvements in outer enclosures which utilize less material than the known outer enclosure containers, while concurrently providing an adequate area for label information, providing structural integrity to the package and also permitting viewing of the food products within the compartments of the rigid base tray. The enclosure should also preferably provide a means to allow the package to be displayed in an upright position.